A Summer Interlude
by Zongeh
Summary: Harry discovers that he is a parseltongue the summer before he is sent off to Hogwarts. A series of one shots from before Hogwarts up to the Sorting ceremony.
1. Chapter 1

It was a balmy summer day in 1990 and the sun was high in the open cloudless blue sky above Surrey. The Sun seemed to take an almost special interest in the particularly normal cookie cutter house of Number 4, Privet Drive, picking a tiny 10 year old to torment with its heat. Little Harry Potter was sitting under the scorching sun enjoying the breeze while taking a short break from tending the opulent garden of Number 4 and he really was appreciating the cool breeze. It was a wonderful chilly deliverance from the heat of Harry's almost sunburn, but it didn't last.

"Get back to work boy!" Petunias shrill voice rang out in the yard and Harry scurried to his feet and ran off to the most isolated corner of the front garden the farthest away from the front window, taking a hoe and shovel with him.

That was how Harry spent most of his summer Saturdays, hunched over Petunias flower garden, pruning, weeding, and inspecting flower, or at least pretending to. Currently, Harry was pretending to extract a particularly stubborn weed, but in reality he was just messing around with the shovel and playing in the dirt. When after 20 minutes Petunia didn't call for him, Harry gave up on faking and just flopped to the ground wishing he could be anywhere but Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whingeing, Surrey.

"… _ssscraggy runt of a child_ ," Harry's head snapped up and he looked around wildly hoping the voice wasn't a new addition to Dudley's schoolyard gang.

"Who's there!" Harry called out in a loud whisper, looking accusingly at one of the bushes bordering the front yard of the house.

" _So you can hear me young one… look near your right foot."_ Harry's eyes snapped to his legs and what he saw was a snake. A rather long and skinny green snake was sitting just near his foot with his head lifted up and his tongue flicking out. A first Harry was frozen in shock, but that only lasted for a few seconds, then he shoved himself into the corner between the hedges and the picket fence and proceeded to curl himself into a ball.

" _Don't be sscared little boy, I'm not venomousss!"_ The snake sounded like it was talking again and at that moment Harry wanted the weird snake to go away and leave him alone.

Snakes cannot talk. I cannot hear snakes talking. I am not a freak, I cannot do freakish things. His mind went on like that in circles and loops for a few minutes until Harry finally got a hold on himself. He lifted his head up and just stared at the garden snake who was staring right back at him just as frankly.

"You're a snake. You're not supposed to talk. Snakes cannot talk," Harry said in a matter of fact way, keeping eye contact with the thing the whole time.

" _Of course snakesss can talk, just not in English, sssilly boy_ ," the snake almost laughed before slithering closer to Harry, " _You're not speaking English either right now."_

"Then what am I speaking? Gibberish!?" Harry quietly screeched before checking to see if Aunt Petunia or the neighbors were watching. If the neighbors saw his freakishness he wouldn't eat for the next week, at least.

" _Parssseltongue, the language of the sssnakesss, spoken by all snakesss, parselmouths, and some particularly sssnake-like reptilesss_ ," the snake said rather haughtily.

Well I guess that makes sense in a completely nonsensical way, I guess. A snake telling me I speak the snake language. Harry thought bemusedly, so completely lost in his thoughts of snakes and snake baby talk and if other animals had languages too, that he didn't notice when the skinny snake, well... snaked his way up his body until he could feel its cool scales on his forearm.

"What are you doing there?" Harry said softly to the snake, he amusingly realized that his voice sounded like hissing to his ears. In fact the situation seemed very funny all of a sudden, absolutely hilarious, practically preposterous, exceedingly humorous. Harry, boring ol' freakish Harry Potter, was talking to snakes. He ought to be put into a hospital for hysteria.

" _I'm getting comfortable with you sssince you're going to be my new owner,"_ said the snake sedately, slowly shifting to show a large part of himself to the sun, " _Parselmouths are very rare you know_ _–_ _it'sss a genetic thing."_

It was like a dam broke within Harry Potter at that moment, and he started laughing. Hysterically laughing, completely dumbstruck with the fact that any of this was actually happening. Too late he realized Aunt Petunia could probably hear him, but by then he didn't really care because he could talk to snakes and a snake was talking to him on the lawn of the perfectly normal, droll, and forgettable house of Number 4 Privet Drive.

" _It'ss the magic in your blood, I jussst know it_ ," the snake said, sounding as if he was almost asleep, " _Everyone is going to be ssso jealousssss when I tell them..."_ And it quietly drifted off.

Harry just sat there eyeing it for a little while longer taking in the whole situation.

"I didn't even get to ask for its name," Harry said to himself, thinking over the rest of the conversation.

Wait, did it say magic?

"Boy! If I see you faffing around the yard one more time it's the cupboard for you!" Petunias voice rung hollowly in Harry ears as he realized that today was the most unbelievable day of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Good, now relax, clear your mind and focusss on your inner being,"_ Juniper, the half blood snake – just like Harry apparently – whispered soothingly as she could into Harry's ears.

Currently the pair were sitting under the sun in the neighborhood park early Sunday morning, Harry on laying on the cool green grass, and Juniper on a large flat shale rock. They were enjoying Harry's few hours of solace from the Dursely's and Dudley's gang together. Usually Harry was locked into the small cupboard under the stairs, but Juniper _magicked_ the lock so that she and Harry could practice _magic_ in the park.

Just thinking back on the past week of his life made Harry feel as if he was living one long hallucination. Harry came to see Juniper as an almost parental over the past few weeks, and they would've been inseparable, if not for Junipers' sometimes days long excursions into the wilds. She left often to converse with some of her more _magical_ snake friends on how to teach Harry about _magic_. It was just all so strange – Juniper trained him out of the word freak the first week they were together.

Absolutely nothing made sense about Harry Potters life at the moment.

" _Focus!_ "

"I'm trying!" Harry snapped, rubbing his eyes, "I'm really trying but it's not as if I can focus when I just have so much to think about," and he really was exasperated. It was like asking a plant to stop growing in the sun, it would happen eventually. Harry sighed, "Why don't you tell me another story instead? We haven't even been making that much progress lately anyway..." It was true, they were working on getting Harry to sense his _magic_ so he could control it in a useful way. Harry fondly remembered one of their past lessons on the wonders of what _magic_ could do…

" _Fine, fine, alright – if it will sssettle you down, then ssso be it,_ " she let out a quite snake-ish sigh. _Well she is a snake_ , Harry thought as settled into a sitting position in front of Junipers favorite sunning rock.

" _Today on this day, the longest day of the year, I'll tell you a sstory of one of your greatesst ancesstorsss, Salazar Slytherin, the origin of all Perselmouthsss and founder of the most prestigious Hogwarts House- Slytherin. This is how he became a Parselmouth..._ "

* * *

Long ago, in the times of lords and ladies and serfs, in the wildest magical forests in all of Albion, there lived a great wizard in his family. For generations, for centuries the great Slytherin family had resided in the secluded compound, rarely ever traversing to the nearby magical villages.

The Slytherin family compound was not much, but it was enough for the large and loving family. Everything building in the forest clearing was made out of dark wood, weathered by years and years of use. There were 5 buildings and 3 sheds, and an animal pen, all looking very old. At the height of the family, there had been too many people to fit into just the houses and 4 relatives had to share the sheds, but in the current state of things, the 2 largest houses weren't anywhere near capacity.

Together the grandparents, great aunts, uncles, parents, and children all lived together. They sustained themselves with the land around them and a small plot of land. It was a charmed, if quiet life where no one ever wanted for anything.

But for a long time the only company Salazar Slytherin had was that of his own family, and the animals of the forest, but he never felt lonely or neglected, rather he flourished in the extensive forests surrounding his family's house. The sprawling greenery and crispness of the morning air was absolutely enchanting and Salazar always spent at least three hours exploring and collecting magical plants to transplant into the ever expending Slytherin gardens.

Salazar loved exploring and learning about the worlds around him, he enjoyed the magic lessons given by his great aunt, he adored how his sweet mother encouraged his love in plants, Salazar relished in is numerous pets, and most of all he loved his family. He had little contact with people outside of them and he had only been down to the village 6 times in his 16 years of life, going once every year since he was 10.

Putting aside all of that for the moment, Salazar was learning about familiars with his aunt in one of the unused houses on the family property. It was only a little bigger than the largest shack but the inside was open and breathable, with large windows in the sitting room of the house. The sitting room was used a the lesson room for teaching the children and the walls seemed to made mostly of glass and the wooden walls were colored a light blue. The room itself was mostly empty except for Salazar, his sister, 2 brothers, and 3 cousins, and, of course, their great aunt Agatha. The children were sitting on the few wooden seats and cushioned bags of hay were scattered around the place.

Great Aunt Agatha was teaching a lesson on familiars. She was lecturing all of the Slytherin children on how to find and bond with their familiars as the sun was reaching the highest point in the sky.

"Today children, we will make our first journey into the forest in search of your familiars," Great Aunt Agatha said, rather dramatically to the group of older children, "Now, can anyone tell me how you can detect the animal that is your true companion, hmm?" She looked expectantly at the children.

"You can tell by the slight draw towards it," Salazar's sister said, a little bored of waiting so long to meet her animal.

"Yes, that it correct, but how can you tell the pull of a bond versus something trying to lure you into some kind of trap?" Agatha gazed at Salazar's sister and she seemed to shrink.

"It depends on the way your magic reacts to the bond, if it tries to pull away rather than being drawn to the pull, then it's a trap. Though, with some animals the only way to tell is to meet them face to face." Salazar said curtly, quite ready to leave.

"Correct, and it would do all of you well to remember that," She turned to face the well trodden path through the wilds surrounding the Slytherin compound, created through decades of use. Agatha set off into the forest with the children obediently following behind her. After they had gotten about a half mile into the forest and into a small clearing she turned around to address her small class.

"Now I trust you all to know how to keep yourselves safe from the magical and mundane flora and fauna, even those that may try and enthrall you," She gave a sharp look to all of them, "And if any of you should happen to come into trouble that you cannot handle on your own, do not bother trying to take it on, simply call me to you." Everyone nodded and took off in random directions, some drawn and some lost.

Salazar set off North by North East, opposite the slowly setting sun. Salazar could feel a connection, strong even if it was distant, it was like a soft beckoning to his magic, a sirens call reaching out to him, but he knew that it was no siren. He could feel its magical power, intoxicating and savage.

As the sun sank lower and lower, dipping under the horizon, Salazar was still following the trail. He was fanatically cutting through the forest feeling the connection grow more solid and the magic growing thick in the air.

After what felt like eternities of walking Salazar happened upon a small hovel. It was so dilapidated and rotting that it looked as if it was abandoned, but it was not. Salazar could see the smoke pouring out of a chimney that looked to be falling off the side of the shack.

Salazar was shocked. He could not think that someone capable of housing such a powerful magical creature could live in such a hovel. It was almost shameful for a wizard to hide his powers like that.

Whatever or whoever was living in that house Salazar was not going to let it keep him away from his familiar. So he went up and gently knocked on the door of the building, as it was barely hanging onto its hinges.

The woman that came to the door surprised him, for he was expecting a man, but nothing about her appearance was too out of the ordinary. Well, ordinary for a person in their position, living out of a one room shack in the middle of nowhere.

She really was a sight to see, so different from the people Salazar had been living with all his life. She was quite thin and lanky, her arms seemed to stop at her knees instead of her thighs. She was covered in dirt and little more than strips of thin rags and animal furs draped over her shoulders. But her face was what was most off putting for young Salazar.

She looked dangerously pale, completely white even, and her cheeks were hollow with her eyes sunken into her face. Her paleness was in sharp contrast to the scarlet of blood leaking out of the sides of her mouth. Her nose was small and rounded, possibly her only normal feature. And her eyes, they were the most striking part of it. They gleamed bright and shiny hungrily taking in every detail of Salazars appearance. They were entirely white with the exception of her pupils, the iris was the same color as the cornea and it greatly unnerved the young boy.

"You're here for the beast?" Another surprise, her voice. It was lilting and sweet like the honey of the bees. When he realized he was staring Salazar chocked out a response and the woman led him to the animal pen behind the hovel.

Inside the small pen was a single chicken in its nest and smaller cage holding an uncomfortably large toad. The woman grabbed the chicken harshly by the throat and threw it to the side as it squawked and flapped in protest. Sitting in the nest was a handful of of eggs that were calling out to Salazars magic.

 _Pick me! Pick me!_ They crooned at Salazar, but he was single minded and knew which one was his. He reached out to grab the smallest egg in the nest but before he could reach it the hag grabbed his wrist.

"Not so fast," she chided him, "Where have your manners gone? So eager and impatient that you've forgotten yourself, and I do not tolerate thievery."

"But–," Salazar started but dd not finish.

"No buts," She said as her grip tightened on Salazar, "You were going to steal from me, boy, and I will not tolerate it."

Salazar was sadly resigning himself to years of being indentured when the woman spoke again

"But," She said dragging him over to to toad, "Take this toad and that egg and when you get home make sure that toad does not move from the top of the egg for the next 15 days," She roughly picked up the cage and the toad let out a ribbit of protest before it was shoved into Salazars free hand, "And when the egg begins to crack you must take the eyes of the toad and squeeze them into your own. You must keep the toad alive for the first week after the egg hatches and slowly feed it to the beast that hatches from the egg. Then you must take the shell and dissolve it into a tincture of anise. Drink this and you will be truly connected to true the ugly thing."

Salazar simply nodded and too off towards home with his new egg, toad, and mysterious instructions.

A month later and Salazar Slytherin was happily conversing with the king of all snakes.

* * *

"That's it?" Harry said incredulously, "That's all you have to do to become a parseltongue?"

" _You would like to believe your special, yesss?"_ And of course Harry nodded, " _Well you are, because no one has managed it in over 1,000 years."_


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't think I'll ever be any good at magic," Harry said as he sighed. They had been practicing for ages and all he had managed to do with his magic was lift up a twig.

" _Nonsenssse,"_ Juniper snapped at him, " _You, little one, are not accepting your magic. It will fight you every step of the way until you learn to love it."_

"Of course I love my magic! It's _magic_ , why wouldn't I?," Harry nearly shouted back at her. Harry and Juniper were again out in a secluded section of the park and practicing magic but it was going _nowhere, "_ can't we just quit for the day?"

" _No Harry! We have skipped too many days and too many lesssonsss and you'll be getting your letter sssoon sso you_ will _need to know this if I won't be able to be there for you,"_ Juniper looked Harry straight into his eyes then, " _Harry, magic is not all fun and gamess, it takess focus, dedication, and above all, love, Harry. Love for yourself and your magic, love for the world around, and especially love in your heart for the people around you,"_ From the look in her eyes Harry could tell that she had truly meant it.

"You can explain it a million times if you want, I'll never be able to do it," Harry said, resigning himself to a life as the personal slave of the Dursleys until he was 18, "Maybe you made a mistake and I'm not really magical, I'm just some boring old kid with an overactive imagination?"

Juniper was starting to truly look impatient, " _If you never stop thinking like that then you will never be more than an average wizard, Harry. Look into yourssself. I know you can see your magic,"_ She slithered over to Harry and climed up his clothes until her head was level with Harry's ear, " _Focuss Harry, Focuss on anything. Anything other than your thoughts,"_ Juniper whispered soothingly into Harry's left ear.

She was so close Harry could hear her faint breathing and so he chose to focus on that. Harry allowed his entire world to become the darkness within him and the quiet sounds of Junipers breathing. Harry sat there for what felt like hours, practicing. Looking into himself, clearing his mind, and he finally achieved what had eluded him for the past 3 weeks.

Focus.

It was wonderful, really. The feeling of being completely free of worry was like being in a balloon and Juniper was the rope tying him to the ground.

" _Good Harry, you're doing very good,"_ Juniper said, slowly slithering around Harry's shoulders, like a living necklace, " _Now, look inssside of yourself and feel your way into the warmesssst part of your mind,"_ then she stopped moving. Harry tried and tried and tried, and when he was just about to give up he felt it, he felt it.

Harry felt the calm and soothing heat withing his own mind, moving the like the ebb and flow of gentle waves on a river bank. He saw it, his magic collected in a pool on his mind. It glimmered and shone like a faceted diamond. But it wasn't transparent, nor was it opaque and it shone in a million different colors. It was bright and it would've been blinding if Harry were witnessing it with his eyes, but he wasn't and it lit up a lot of the seemingly infinite space on the inside of him.

Harry drifted closer and closer to the shimmering pool, reflective, endless, judgmental, accepting, and every single color. Harry was truly enchanted with his magic, how could something so amazing, so stunning, so _beautiful._ And he was so enraptured, so captivated that he walked straight into the pool.

It felt odd. Like falling through a mirror. If you could fall through a mirror, a mirror made of quicksilver. Harry was enveloped by a strong feeling of trust and love, and most importantly _acceptance_. Harry felt truly loved for that one moment, and the next he was back in reality with every hair standing on end.

Harry was very disappointing to be so rudely transported back into the real world with the Dursleys, but then again, he had never truly left had he. Harry let out a great heaving sigh and called out, "Juniper? Juney did I do it right?"

Juniper was lazily hanging from Harry's arms, sedately moving around his elbows and looking very self satisfied, " _Harry it wass, perfect. I cant believe I am such a good teacher. Harry I didn't even expect you to approach it for a leassst a week. Yes, this is more than I even expected in training a young one like yourself… It isss mosst unexpected… Very nice…"_

Harry was extremely excited to receive so much praise from Juniper, "So does that mean that I can do magic now?" Harry asked anxiously.

" _Well, it all dependsss on how you felt when coming into contact with yourssself ssso deeply,"_ Juniper looked deep in thought as she made her way back to her sunning rock. She flattened herself onto the flat top, " _But… I think that you will be especially proficient Harry, just from the way_ I _felt when you touched it.,"_ she contemplated something deeply, " _So, Harry, how did it feel?"_

Harry considered for a moment, rolling everything over in his head and going back over all of the events that happened in his head, taking it all in. For a moment he believed the experience truly indescribable, but then he took hold of his emotions and held them close to his heart. Then Harry spoke.

"Juniper I really do wish I could tell you everything, but I can't. I just can't. All I know is that I felt everything. Every emotion that I could name was in myself," Harry said quietly, unsure of himself.

" _Harry, you are more than I could have ever hoped for,"_ Juniper said, and Harry could tell that she really meant it.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the night before Harry's birthday and sitting expectantly in the tiny cupboard under the stairs, were Harry and Juniper. It was 11:00 and Harry felt excited and extremely tired. The Dursley's always worked Harry especially hard on the week of his birthday, it was another little indication to Harry that the Dursley's really did not care for him. This year it was even worse because of the Zoo incident.

The Zoo incident. Harry had tried, he really did, to control his magic. _It is very important to make sure you know how to control your magic, Harry, you know why._ Those were Junipers words to him the next time they were able to go to the park. But it was just so hard, when your so in love with your own magic, and what had happened at the Zoo had been truly accidental, not that the Dursley's would ever care, and Harry paid the price.

After what had happened, Harry was confined to his cupboard, even when the Dursley's weren't home. He was only allowed to come out to cook breakfast, do chores, use the bathroom, and once, to bathe. It was abhorrent, would've been unbearable without magic. Juniper was gone and wouldn't be returning until late in the day, retrieving some special gift for Harry. It was terrible to see her go so soon after he was imprisoned, Harry had nearly cried at the loss of her company, but it was so touching that she was getting him a _gift_ , at the mention of that the tears really started gushing.

So Harry was alone in his cupboard on the morning of his birthday feeling horribly alone, pitifully awaiting Aunt Petunias rude intrusion into his cupboard to begin the day. He did not have to wait long. Aunt Petunia forcefully opened the tiny door under the pristine stairs of Privet Drive at the crack of dawn and roughly dragged Harry out of his room.

"Hurry up boy," Petunia said as she gingerly shoved Harry into the ground level bathroom, quickly shoving the door behind him. He barely had time to do his business before he was dragged back out, "Go and make breakfast boy, and if the table isn't set by the time my Dudders wakes up, you'll regret it!" All Harry could do was meekly nod as Aunt Petunia herded him into the kitchen. Watching Harry like a hawk as he fried up some bacon.

"Make the eggs sunny side up," Aunt Petunia said as she left the room to do something or other for one of the other men in the house, "And don't forget to set the table!" She called through the doorway.

Harry sighed and relaxed a bit after she was gone. It was even harder to face the Dursley's without Junipers calming presence slithering around his body. He wondered when he had gotten so used to her presence. Harry couldn't get too distracted though, last time her burned the bacon he hadn't been freely given food for a week and forced to stand in the corner of the dining room for every meal. It was the only punishment that made Harry truly wish harm onto the Dursley's.

Luckily nothing was burned that morning and the whole quaint breakfast scene was set before everyone arrived. Harry had eaten tiny bites of the bacon, a single ruined egg, a small pancake he made just for himself while cooking for his 'family,' in anticipation fr his Hogwarts letter. So he made himself scarce to hover near the door, waiting patiently for his mail. _His mail_. Wasn't that a thought, Harry finally getting his own things. _Things are going to change when I go to Hogwarts,_ Harry thought as the mail finally dropped thought the slot in the door.

Like a bolt of lightning Harry rifled through the mail looking for the ancient looking paper that _wizards_ used for correspondence. Then he found it and quickly shoved it under the door to his cupboard.

"Boy!" Vernon yelled out, "Bring the mail!"

* * *

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _Please find_ _enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on September 1._

 _We await your owl by no later than July 31._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva Magonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Brilliant. It was truly brilliant. But the amazement did not stop there, because there was a supply list too. Harry was required to get a _wand_ , and a _cauldron,_ and, of all things, a _pointed hat._ It was all just so blatant, as if they the didn't even want to try and hide that they were wizards. Harry was also a little sad, the letter had said that he could only bring a cat, owl, or toad. _Well, it can't hurt to ask, right?_ Harry thought, but it could and Harry knew that very well.

To be honest, Harry didn't even know how he would send any kind of response to the school. Where was he gonna get an owl? Could he send it through the post? Where would a person even _obtain_ a wand? So many questions were running through Harry's head that he decided to just wait until Juniper returned. Harry was not idle while he waited, he had a whole list of chores to fulfill before Uncle Vernon got home around 6 p.m.

Eventually she came back to Harry late in the afternoon while tending to the garden later in the afternoon then he usually did, but Vernon didn't care as much for the garden as he did for the fence. He would only yell at Harry for not getting the garden finished soon enough.

Harry felt her presence as soon as she crossed under the roses he was tending to, "Where have yon been!" Harry quietly yelled at Juniper, "It's my birthday! You know that its special to me…"

" _Of courssse Harry I know, and I had wanted to ssspend the entire day with you but I knew it would take a long time to get it to you,"_ Juniper sighed and shifted around, " _But as you know snakes do have pockets,"_ Harry let out a halfhearted chuckle at that, " _And besides, I wanted to sssurprise you. Thisss is your firssst ever pressent."_ At that Harry deflated a little, she had left for a good cause.

"Lets just get back inside soon alright? I only have to prune these bushes and then I'll be done for the day," Harry said as he sheared off a pruned off a wayward branch.

* * *

The pair were both inside the tiny space under the stairs and together quietly sang the birthday song for Harry after the Dursley's had retired to their rooms.

" _Happy birthday, dear Harryyy, happy birthday to you!_ " Juniper whispered into Harry's ear. He had his eyes closed and was anxiously awaiting for Juniper to reveal her gift for him. Juniper fell from his body and coiled up in front of him.

" _Open your eyes Harry."_

He did. And in front of him sat a ring. The ring was silver and carved in the shape of a single snake with two heads. Each head held half of the single gem bared by the ring. It was beautiful, as if each snake precariously held the radiant gem on the tips of its fangs.

"Juniper it's…" Harry trailed off.

" _I know young wont be able to wear it much until Hogwartsss but it has sssome enchantmentsss that are dead ussseful,"_ Juniper rushed out before Harry could speak more.

"Thank you."

And Harry promptly sobbed himself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Hagrid and Harry walked close together after leaving the comforting darkness of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Harry giddy after the discovery of a personal vault filled with _his_ personal wealth, not one bit of it was for precious little Dudders or greedy Uncle Vernon. It was invigorating and put a new hopeful pep into Harry. _This truly is the wizarding world, where anything can happen,_ Harry thought to himself.

" _Don't get too full of it Harry,"_ Juniper whispered to him, " _and forget your humble friend now that you're the oh-so-special Boy Who Lived."_ She writhed under Harry's loose shirt, bored from being under his shirt for so long. Harry chuckled, and together they all set out into Diagon Alley.

* * *

Harry stood on the stool in the back of Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, while the namesake of the place drifted around him taking all kinds of measurements. Next to Harry was a boy only slightly taller than himself fidgeting while the assistant tended to him. The most immediately striking thing about him was his white blonde hair and abnormally pointy features. Together they stood in silence. It was getting kind of awkward.

In the end the oddly pointy boy broke the tension, "So, are ou going to Hogwarts this Septembe." he said in Harry's general direction.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled back.

The boy scoffed at Harry, "You should not say 'yeah' like you're some common muggle," then the boy sighed, "I suppose you're a muggleborn then," he said looking morose, "or even worse a blood traitor..." he trailed off.

Harry shook his head, "No, not at all," he said, Juniper had taught him all about the blood politics of wizards, and he was obviously talking to a pureblood, "I'm a Half-Blood."

At this the boy perked up, "You're not all bad then," just then he appraised Harry, looking at him in his entirety, sizing him up. It was rather uncomfortable.

"I, uh, never did catch your name," Harry said as he was poked by a rogue needle, "Ow! Watch it." he said indigently.

The boy looked over and coolly said, "It's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Harry smiled at this regal looking boy introduced himself as smoothly as James Bond, and extended his hand, "I'm Harry. Harry Potter." Both attendants let out small squeaks.

Draco's eyes widened before narrowing, the look of someone fooled once who endeavored never to be fooled again, "The scar then," he said, "If you're really him you'll have it."

Harry showed him, a bit uncomfortable about all the fanfare, and Juniper shifted lazily. Draco relaxed and shook Harry's outstretched hand.

"I apologize for so rudely asking you to expose yourself," Draco said not sounding sorry in the slightest, "you know there are just so many fakes out there," he waived his hand dismissively.

"Of course, of course," Harry said airily, internally smiling. He was a real wizard with real wizarding friends, well _a_ friend, but still!

"All right, all right boys, if you're both done then," the attendant nearest Draco said, dusting her hands off, "Your measurements are done and if you would like, you cam come in late to retreive your robes or receive them through the owl post," she looked at both boys sternly.

"We'll come back later," both boys intoned at the same time. Internally, Harry was smiling like a maniac, but outside he was a _little_ more reserved.

"Have you gotten your books yet?" Harry shook his head, "Are your guardians outside?" Harry peered out the window and shook his head again. Draco gave a predatory smile, "Have you gotten your books and wand?" Again, Harry shook his head. "Are you mute?" Harry shook his head, then blushed, he had fell right into the trap. Draco chuckled, "We'll have to train you out of that."

Harry didn't really like the idea of being 'trained' by this ominous 'we,' but he went along when Draco dragged him out of Madam Malkin's anyways. There was no harm in going along with his new friend, right?

"We'll get our books first," Draco said, elegantly taking Harry by the arm, looping the two together, "Personally, I would much rather be shopping for a new broom, I still cannot believe that old coot Dumbledore banned first years from getting brooms." Harry just nodded along as they made their way down the alley, occasionally adding in comments. It was probably the best day Harry ever had after his first birthday.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry Potter and the Malfoys were awkwardly standing in the front room of Ollivander's wand shop, _Makers of Fine Wands_ s _ince 382 BC,_ and seriously regretting not just going through their family wand collection, or at least the Malfoys were. Harry and Draco had just gotten their measurements taken, when Ollivander disappeared among his rows of wands, and none of the Malfoys were even slightly used to being made to wait. Draco was beginning to get a little shifty, while Harry was perfectly fine. He was very used to having to having to stand for hours on end.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Ollivander walked out from between one of the many shelves containing hundred of wands, carrying an armful of rectangular boxes. He looked as mysterious as ever.

"I thought we could start off with some of my more… eclectic combinations." Ollivander chuckled quietly and sat the pile of wands down in front of Draco and Harry.

Draco dove right in and snatched the wand out of a long box at the top of the stack. It was a dark but almost chalky brown, almost as long his forearm. Harry just stared at the long and rather pointy piece of wood.

"Chestnut and unicorn tail hair," Ollivander said, at this Lucius gave the faintest hint of a smile, "Go on give it a whirl."

Draco took a deep breath, "Wingardium Leviosa," he cast on the empty box that the wand once sat in. It jumped up a few inches and hovered for a second, then it fell back down. Ollivander quickly replaced the wand in Draco's hand.

"Twelve inches, Unicorn tail-hair and Rowan," It was snatched out of Draco's hand as soon as Ollivander cast a look at the elder Malfoys. It went on like that for a little longer, Ollivander calling out the qualities of the wands and Draco casting odd charms, most of which barely made it past the wand tip, but some did have minimal effect.

After about 10 tries Ollivander called out almost hesitantly, "Hawthorn and Unicorn tail-hair, ten inches." Draco took it and he could feel part of himself flowing into the wand, and it felt so natural, like his magic was waiting for something to reach out through his entire life.

"Lumos."

There was a very bright flash for a second, then black splotches danced in front of Draco's eyes, "How much for this one?" He asked Ollivander before being interrupted by his own father.

"Draco," he admonished, "would it not be better if the two of you purchased your wands at the same time?"

"Of course father," Draco said airily, as he returned to Harry's side, "Well go on Harry, he doesn't bite." Harry chuckled a little at that, how weird it was to be joking with another boy that called him his friend.

"Draco." Lucius said, letting his Draco's name hang in the air for a moment as a warning, "We will talk about all of this impropriety when we get home." Draco looked as if he had swallowed a lemon, but only for a moment, then his face returned to impassiveness and he nodded.

Harry stepped up to Ollivander, eager to receive his wand.

* * *

Authors Notes:

Short but sweet I hope. I guess I've never really seen other fanfics with scenes about how Draco got his wand, so if you ever really wanted to read about it, I hope this was good enough. When I was looking up Dracos wand, I found out that it was Hawthorn and Hawthorn is usually reserved for "accomplished wizards". So what I'm saying is, do you really think that a spoiled Malfoy would just let his wand ~choose him~. He would have had to do something to prove he was good enough for a wood as temperamental as Hawthorn. Well that's what I think anyway.

Also: Sorry for the wait! This was only meant to be a short story but then school caught up to me and then... But anyways, the next chapter will be the last and it'll go from the train to the Sorting, but don't expect too much detail about the sorting, I mean how many times can you read the same scene with small changes? Another reason why I didn't describe Harry's wand choosing, just know he has the same wand but imagine it looks way cooler. Personally never saw the reason why Ollivander made such plain wands with the same few materials, American wand makers are much more versatile.

Where _did_ Hagrid go anyway...


End file.
